


Poker Night

by AtoTheBean



Series: Ato's 007 Fest Fan Creations [1]
Category: James Bond (Craig movies)
Genre: 007 Fest, Gen, Prompt Fill, team!QBranch
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-01
Updated: 2018-07-01
Packaged: 2019-05-31 16:00:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,680
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15122939
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AtoTheBean/pseuds/AtoTheBean
Summary: For the prompts:Bond finding out Q had hacked Mi6 in his youth and left his resumeMI6 Poker night





	Poker Night

**Author's Note:**

> Let the Fest begin! Go Team Q Branch! (This is unbeta'ed, so sorry for any mistakes).

“My story’s somewhat boring, I’m afraid,” 007 says, anteing up. “I came to M’s attention while serving in the Royal Navy, and she recruited me when my service term was up.”

“Except that _how_ you came to her attention changes every time you tell the story,” Eve counters as she deals. “Is it the ‘rescued ten crew members from a sinking vessel’ story, or the ‘thwarted a pirate takeover’ story? Or the puppies? Oh, _do_ tell the one about the puppies again!” Eve’s eyes gleam. “It’s my favorite.”

“Wait, there’s a story about James Bond and puppies?” Q asks, picking up his cards and sorting them. “Did he try to make a coat out of them? Because I think I saw that film.”

“I’m callous, Q, but not actually evil. And I think it’s Tanner’s story that involves puppies. I’ll take three,” he adds to Eve.

“Not me,” Bill says. “M stole me from MI5 after I helped sort out a mission where the boundaries between the agencies got a bit blurred. I don’t recall any puppies being involved. Two for me, please. Eve, you came to us through the website, right?”

“Yes, I was completely boring. Just applied for service and had the background check done and started training. Though I got in after only the second round, which is fairly unheard of. What do you need, love?” she asks, turning to Q.

“Just one, please. And don’t sell your story short. It’s not many people who can manage perfect lie-detection score on their first go.”

“I _am_ terribly impressive,” Eve says, taking three for herself.

“And modest,” James adds.

“Modesty doesn’t serve one in present company. Time to play, boys. Who’s in?”

“I’ll raise five,” James says, tossing the chip into the pot.

“I’ll see that,” Bill says.

Q eyes them all, tapping at his teeth. James still hasn’t sussed out whether that’s a _real_ tell or something Q does deliberately to distract them. He’s been back for nearly three months and has fallen into a reasonable rapport with everyone else, but Q has proven a harder nut to crack. Icier in the beginning, and less inclined to spend time with James and allow him to atone for his departure and absence. It’s only in the last month, when it became clear again just how good they are during missions — and 007 has made a concerted effort to return his gear to Q branch and otherwise pay its overlord all due respect — that Q has conceded to spending any time with James outside a mission. And even then he’s almost unsociably quiet. James is wondering if it’s worth the effort of getting to know the man better. He doesn’t usually have to work this hard for things. But he misses the snarky rapport they’d shared before he left. He misses the way Q used to look at him, and something tells him there’s more to the lanky genius than he’d first considered.

“What about you, Q? I don’t think I’ve ever heard the story of how you came to be in our esteemed company.”

Eve snorts. “Q has almost as many crazy stories for how he came to be in Her Majesty’s service as you do, James.” She looks fondly at the boffin, who’s just shaking his head with a small smirk. “But I know which one is real.”

“Do you?” Q asks, genuinely curious.

“Top scores in lie-detection, remember.”

“Of course. I’ll raise twenty.” Q moves a stack of chips to the center.

“Oh, bugger, that’s too rich for me,” Eve says, folding her cards on the table.

“Which is your favorite?” Q asks Eve as Tanner scowls at his cards.

“Oh, I don’t know… there are so many good ones. Rescuing you from the telecommunications company…”

Q snorts. “As if I’d ever let myself get stuck in a dead-end job.”

“I’m out,” says Bill, stacking his cards in a neat pile. “I like the one where you gave a series of anonymous tips about a smuggling ring working out of Cambridge.”

“That did actually happen,” Q clarifies, “but I’d already been recruited at that point, pending completion of my electrical engineering PhD. Which is why I was in Cambridge in the first place.”

“That would have made for a good story,” James acknowledges. “And I think you’re bluffing. I’ll see your twenty and raise you another ten.”

Q shoots him a mischievous look. And James likes it. He wants more of them.

Q carefully places another two chips by his original stack. His actions are always so deliberate, it makes James wonder what he’s like when he’s truly relaxed.

“So what’s the real story then?”

“It was half a lifetime ago,” Eve starts.

“Moneypenny,” Q warns. “My age is classified.”

“When our lovely head boffin was a wee uni student--”

“I’d already finished my bachelor’s and was working on a PhD in network languages,” Q asserts. “I was a _grad_ student, not a uni student.”

“When was this?” James asks. “I thought you’re about 12… how can you have multiple PhDs?”

Q glares at him, but it’s mostly amused.

“It was 17 years ago,” Eve continues pointedly, “and our Q had just come of age, but already had an impressive resume. A patent at the tender age of 14—”

“15,” Q corrects. “And another at 16.”

“A first degree, and on his way to a second,” Eve continues. “And he’d already decided that he wanted to use his talents for Queen and Country.”

Q sighs, possibly annoyed that his age was now known. Thirty-five... he was barely younger than James. “I’d been approached by some unsavory characters, and wanted to ensure I had a placement on the correct side of the law, with someone who could perhaps help if the attention I was receiving became more… intense.”

“And so you, what? Did we have a website back then?” Bond asks.

“No…” Q is _blushing_. Dear god.

James becomes acutely aware of two things. First, this _is_ a tell; James is about to get the truth out of him. And second, he very much wants to know how far down Q’s chest it extends.

“I… I hacked the MI6 server and placed my resume in M’s top directory.”

It takes a full half-second for James to process those words and another half second to imagine M’s reaction to the discovery.  He whoops a laugh so loud Tanner startles. Then they are all laughing, and James literally has tears streaming down his cheeks.

“Oh, to be a fly on the wall when she discovered that! She must have battled the conflicting impulses to hire you on the spot and bring you in to string you up by the balls.”

“She gave into both, actually,” Q confirms with a grin. “Not the stringing up… my bollocks are intact, thankfully. But she brought me in, put me through an intense array of questioning that lasted _days_ , and then offered me a contract effective at the conclusion of my education, which I signed on the spot. God, I miss her.”

They all hum in agreement. James is surprised to find that Q’s relationship with M was not much shorter than his own, and perhaps just as fond.

“I suppose we should finish the hand,” Q says finally, moving to lower his cards.

“Wait!”

Q looks up at James expectantly.

“I’d like to raise the stakes.”

“That confident?”

James just tilts his head, not wanting to give too much away.

“Okay,” Q agrees. “You’ve got me curious.”

James clears his throat. “If I win, you let me take you to dinner.”

Q’s eyebrows shoot up, and Eve looks as if she’s the cat who’s swallowed the canary. Too pleased with herself by far.  James can’t bring himself to mind.

“And if I win?”

“What you like. On-time paperwork for a month?”

“You should be doing that anyway.”

“Fine. What would you like?”

“With stakes like that, I think I’ll take a blank check… a favor or concession of my choosing at a future date.”

This could turn out to be very dangerous, but James enjoys a good gamble. Besides, he’s going to win.

“Very well.” He nods in agreement and lays down his cards. Full house, aces over jacks.

Q’s smirk morphs into a full-fledged grin as he lays down a royal flush.

“Too bad, 007,” Tanner says, clapping him on the shoulder. “Should have stuck to just losing cash.”

“It was obvious he wasn’t bluffing,” Eve adds. “When he bluffs he–”

“That’s enough out of you, Moneypenny,” Q interrupts, eyes fixed on Bond.

“Well, I think I’ll call it a night, lads,” Eve says. “Beauty rest and all.”

“I should get going too. Nice to lose my money to someone other than Bond,” Tanner adds. “Thanks for that, Q.”

Q nods and bids them farewell, but makes no move to leave himself. So James stays where he is, as well. Watching.

When they have the room to themselves, Q raises an eyebrow.

“Do you want to play some more?” James asks.

“No, I think I’ll quit while I’m ahead.”

James nods. “Have you already decided the pound of flesh you intend to extract from me?”

“Well,” Q considers, “I believe you said something about dinner.”

James hesitates. “That was if I won.”

“True, but I’m happy enough with that outcome, and have no plans for tonight. I know a French place that should have an opening this late. If you aren’t otherwise engaged.”

James isn’t. He smiles. “So, you just didn’t want Moneypenny to know?”

“I love Eve dearly, but for a spy, she’s a terrible gossip. I don’t think we need that, do you?” Q gathers the cards while he waits for James’ reply.

“I have questions,” James warns.

“Of course you do. I have a few of my own.”

They watch each other for a long moment, realizing that if they do this, something about their relationship will change. Become more open, perhaps. Or just _more._

“Shall I drive, then?” James asks.

Q just grins and gets his coat.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading!


End file.
